CBC News: Border Crossings From MB

U.S. border patrol agents have caught more than twice as many people attempting to illegally cross from Manitoba into the United States in the last year compared to 2022, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

From October 2022 to the end of August 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol says it apprehended 237 people who unlawfully crossed the border from Manitoba into North Dakota or Minnesota.

Typically, we have seen many people try to cross from the USA into Manitoba due to fears of the former Trump administration.

CIL was called to comment on this trend:

Relying on misinformation

Alastair Clarke, a Winnipeg immigration lawyer, said there’s a lot of misinformation circulating about the immigration process to Canada or the U.S., which can have dire consequences.

He said he often encounters that type of misinformation in his own work, when trying to help clients navigate a complex immigration system.

I regularly speak to individuals who quote me information that is out of date — possibly this just doesn’t apply to their case, possibly [it] relates to another program — and they didn’t understand that that program is not related to … their particular circumstance, he said.

Border crossers are often relying on information from relatives [or] information maybe they might have heard online … and they are putting their lives in the hands of strangers in order for them to then hopefully achieve that goal, he said.

Too often it results in tragedy, or it results in some type of refusal or some type of misstep or mistake that can lead to serious consequences.

Indeed, we have reported many cases of clients or individuals who have contacted our office based on false or misleading information. We are constantly trying to educate and guide our clients.

We believe the changes to the STCA may be causing significant issues.